Health secretary says emergency measures banning sale and supply for gender dysphoria will be made indefinite after expert advice

Puberty blockers for under-18s with gender dysphoria will be banned indefinitely across the UK except for use in clinical trials, the government has announced.

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said that after receiving advice from medical experts, he would make existing emergency measures banning the sale and supply of puberty blockers indefinite.

The Department of Health and Social Care said the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) had published independent expert advice that there was “currently an unacceptable safety risk in the continued prescription of puberty blockers to children”.

    • VeganPizza69 Ⓥ@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      48 minutes ago

      A review of the infamous CASS report:

      Results from 5 uncontrolled, observational studies suggest that, in children and adolescents with gender dysphoria, gender-affirming hormones are likely to improve symptoms of gender dysphoria, and may also improve depression, anxiety, quality of life, suicidality, and psychosocial functioning. The impact of treatment on body image is unclear. All results were of very low certainty using modified GRADE

      Safety outcomes were reported in 5 observational studies. Statistically significant increases in some measures of bone density were seen following treatment with gender-affirming hormones, although results varied by bone region (lumber spine versus femoral neck) and by population (transfemales versus transmales). However, z-scores suggest that bone density remained lower in transfemales and transmales compared with an equivalent cisgender population. Results from 1 study of gender-affirming hormones started during adolescence reported statistically significant increases in blood pressure and body mass index, and worsening of the lipid profile (in transmales) at age 22 years, although longer term studies that report on cardiovascular event rates are required. Adverse events and discontinuation rates associated with gender-affirming hormones were only reported in 1 study, and no conclusions can be made on these outcomes.

      This document was prepared in October 2020

      Evidence review (.PDF): Gender-affirming hormones for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria https://cass.independent-review.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/20220726_Evidence-review_Gender-affirming-hormones_For-upload_Final.pdf

      Other reading:

      Fact Check: New York Times Publishes Misleading Story On Puberty Blocker Study

      Gender-affirming care can improve mental health outcomes in transgender youth | Department of Epidemiology

      Watching:

      Exposing the Dangers of Anti-Trans Fascism | RE: The Cass Review & Labour’s Downfall

          • nfh@lemmy.worldEnglish
            164·
            17 hours ago

            The report exists, but it has so many errors, misinterpreting its own data to bend to the conclusions its authors decided they wanted to find, lots of cherry picking, and ignoring any fact inconvenient to its conclusions.

            Imagine a paper that concludes that dowsing or homeopathy is good science. It’s about that accurate.

            • AdanisiEnglish
              63·
              8 hours ago

              Also it was commissioned by the Tories, to be done by a woman who before even starting her research for the report, was clearly biased against trans people.

            • n2burns@lemmy.caEnglish
              101·
              17 hours ago

              K…I started my original comment with, “While I don’t agree with it’s findings,” and was responding to a comment asking for elaboration on the safety risks. I was just providing context, not stating the report was gospel-truth or anything.